Favorite Television Episode Of All Time

[dr_beat]

Mine's the final episode of "St. Elsewhere" -- where it's reveailed the entire show -- every season and episode before it -- has been imagined by a young, mentally retarded (or was it autistic?) teen (played by Chad Allen).

I actually thought the ending was a bit of a cop-out, just like the rest of that season. But I loved every other episode. The one that still stands out in my mind is when the nurse, played by Ellen Bry, shoots Peter White the rapist and then calls upstairs saying, "Code blue: morgue." Classic!

 

[dr_beat]

Oh, this is HARD HARD HARD. I'm going to do a list of favorites first, and then vote on the all-time favorite:


1. WILL & GRACE: Grace invites Leo's ex-girlfriend over for dinner, and it turns out she's the only woman Will has ever slept with. Hilarity ensues.

2. CHINA BEACH: The two-part Tet offensive episode. I cried buckets when Cherry died. The aftermath episode was stunning.

3. STAR TREK: TGN: The first of their two-part Borg episodes, when Picard is captured and becomes Locutus. Every line of dialogue, every single shot - perfect.

4. STAR TREK: TGN: Yesterday's Enterprise. Again, every moment used brilliantly. I was freaked out the first time it came on, and there stood Tasha Yar at her post.

5. STAR TREK: TGN: Data's Day. Not as heralded as some of the other episodes, I thought it completely encapsulated the Star Trek themes of curiosity, learning and personal growth.

6. SEINFELD: When the four principals make a bet about who can be *master of their own domain* the longest. Hilarity ensues.

7. ALL IN THE FAMILY: Archie's gotten hooked up with the wrong crowd of racists, and to untangle himself, he tells them he has black blood. Hilarity ensues.

8. KNOTS LANDING: Paige and Greg play strip croquet.

9. CHINA BEACH: McMurphy comes home for a shore leave, and has conflicts with her family. Her mother throws her smelly clothes in the garbage, and Colleen retrieves them: "They smell like me, mother."

I'm glad you've mentioned China Beach. That really was a great show.
Also, I'm glad you mentioned that All In The Family episode. I don't recall that one as much as I recall the one where he actually does get the "black blood". I remember the doctor tellling him: " When you wake up, you gonna have a strange craving for wattamelon."

 

[buzzj]

Did you not love "Newhart"? I still laugh remembering "I'm Larry, and this is my brother Darryl and this is my other brother Darryl." One of the best final episodes of all time...!

 

[buzzj]

Oh well, while I'm outing my terrible taste in humour--- I might as well mention another favorite:

"Hello dere!"

 

[looseliam]

^^ Goodbye city life...

Love it!

 

[Riverrick]

Oh well, while I'm outing my terrible taste in humour--- I might as well mention another favorite:

"Hello dere!"

You gotta have a kooky sense of humor to like that show. And I liked it!

Remember Eb?

 

[davy]

What is your favorite television episode of all time?

Mine is the last episode of Six Feet under:

now that's haunting.

i've never seen a happy ending where all the people died.

now i have to finish watching all the seasons from 2 till the end to find out who half of those people were.

 

[spreadeagle]

Re: I Love Lucy popularity and Mash final being most watched TV episode.

Lucille Ball was pregnant and the pregnancy written into the show. The show was performed live; the pregnancy induced to fit in with the filming of the episode. This coincided with some sort of Presidential bi-election. The democratic process took place during the day and the Lucy episode aired on that evening.

The following day The New York Times whole front page read "IT'S A BOY!" and the election result was relegated to page 3.

 

[buzzj]

You gotta have a kooky sense of humor to like that show. And I liked it!

Remember Eb?

Eb was cool! What a shame he didn't come close to being as intelligent as Arnold Ziffel! ( )

 

[hermanding]

all the episodes of OZ with Meloni and Tergesen passionately kissing. i'm all bone for those makeout scenes.
ding

 

[PreTTy PeTe]

"Edith's Crisis of Faith"

the episode where Beverly LaSalle was killed for just being different.

 

[HourglassGuy]

I have two favorite episodes, actually.

The first is from "The Golden Girls." Sophia's brother, a priest, comes to stay for a few days, and Sophia wants everyone to be on their best behavior in front of him -- even talking Dorothy and Stan into pretending they're still married (despite their bitter divorce years before).

Anyway, Rose and Blanche are nuns in a play, but a hurricane forces the play to be cancelled and they come rushing back home, still in their nun outfits. When they get back home, they run into Sophia's priest brother, and he's confused when he sees them dressed as nuns with their clothes (bras and panties) in their hands. Blanche explains to him that they're nuns, collecting clothes for "needy, sexy people." LoL!

They all go to the living room to sit down and relax, when they get news that all roads are closed due to the hurricane and everyone (including Dorothy's annoying ex, Stanley) will have to stay in the house together. Blanche is pissed and shouts out, "Oh, JESUS!" Realizing what she's just said in front of the preist, she continues on.... "Ohhhh Jesus, yes, please watch over us in this our hour of need!"

They all go to bed. Dorothy sleeps in the bed and makes Stanley sleep on the floor. As they're about to go to sleep, Stan thinks of something funny and begins to laugh hysterically. Dorothy, annoyed, says, "Stan, if you're doing what I think you're doing, you're in big trouble!" Funny scene.

The next morning, Blanche is on the phone with one of her suitors, still dressed as a nun, but the priest is standing behind her and she doesn't realize it as she talks dirty on the phone. "What am I wearing? Well, you'll never believe it. A NUN'S OUTFIT! Ohhh yes, I can't wait until you get me out of it, either..."

Just the entire episode is hysterical.

Then, my second favorite episode if all-time is also an episode of "The Golden Girls." It's from when Rose got a job working on a local live talk show, and she invites Dorothy and Blanche to be guests on an upcoming episode about women who live together. However, only when they're LIVE on the air do they realize that Rose actually made a mistake, because the episode is about the "Lesbians of Miami." Horrified, Blanche and Dorothy don't know what to do, so they play along until it's finally over with.

It's hysterical as the host introduces them.

HOST: "I'd like you to meet Dorothy... a LESBIAN. Blanche, another LESBIAN. And Pat and Kathy.... image consultants."

DOROTHY "Howcome they're not lesbians?!"

Then a member of the audience stands up and asks a question.

"Are there male/female roles in the relationship?"

BLANCHE: "Well, I am the little homemaker, if that's what you mean!"

DOROTHY: "Now WAIT A MINUTE, just...!!! (pauses) ... and I take out the garbage."

Then Sophia stands.

SOPHIA: "What kind of pain and embarassment has this lifestyle caused your mother?

DOROTHY: "Gee, I really don't know, but... I'll ask her tomorrow, when I visit her at... THE HOME."

SOPHIA: "No more questions!"



Oh, and an honorable mention goes to THIS episode, as well:

Sophia and Dorothy explain to Blanche that their friend, Jean, is a lesbian. Confused, Blanche replies, "Well, I've never known any personally, but isn't Danny Thomas one?" Annoyed, Dorothy responds, "Not LEBANESE, Blanche. Lesbian!" Blanche finally puts it all together, "Lesbian... LESBIAN.... LESBIAN?!" Her realization of what the word lesbian is hysterical, and even more hysterical is when she gets pissed that Jean has the hots for Rose instead of her! Absolutely classic.



No other cast had such an amazing ensemble sisterhood chemistry, and their comedic timing with themselves and one another was impeccable. They played off one another like an art form, and I'll never tire of them.

 

[wilehart1978]

Dallas - "A House Divided" - It was the "Who Shot JR?" episode

Dynasty - "The Vendetta" - Alexis completely bankrupts Blake

Knots Landing - "Noises Everywhere Parts I and II" - Laura Avery's funeral
and "Negotiations" - Wolfbridge blows up!"

Three's Company - "A-Camping We Will Go" _ Jack and the girls go camping - catch this on TV Land, one of the best Three's Company Episodes...

Columbo - "Murder by the Book" with Jack Cassidy, "A Stitch in Crime" - Leonard Nimoy

Star Trek - "The Doomsday Machine" with William Windom

Alfred Hitchock Presents - "out there - darkness" with Bette Davis and "Lamb to the Slaughter" - Barbara Bel Geddes (miss Ellie) kills her husband with a leg of lamb, cooks it then feeds it to the police.

The Cosby SHow - "Golden Anniversary" - Classic Cosby

The Munsters - "My Fair Munster" - Hilarious..Grandpa makes a love potion for Marilyn

Maude - "Maude's Reunion" - Maude learns her friend had a stroke...this is classic Bea Arthur at her best~~

Spiderman - the Animated Series" - "The Evil Sorcerer", "Revolt in the Fifth Dimeension" - was banned at one time and "The Menace of Mysterio"

 

[saebuffyboy]

Sex and the city The Real Me
Great message in this one.

*sorry the vid is shit quility*



ummm, all things buffy.

buffy the vampire slayer

when she was bad.



perviously mentioned hush

reptile boy, lie to me, restless, about all of seasons one through five.

the gift

and of course becoming part two



gilmore girls

again lots like wedding bell blues, scene in a mall, one dyes and the other's got class.

wedding bell blues



many many others.

 

[saebuffyboy]

csi- "Grave Danger" "Slaves of Las Vegas" and anything that features a good nick and greg moment.

Over There- the entire series.



Scrubs, My Way Home

 

[frankfrank]

A one-half-show episode from the mid-Eighties version of THE TWILIGHT ZONE. This half-episode (meaning that, in other words, the half-hour included another episode) was called "Dreams For Sale."

SPOILER ALERT...

A woman is having an outdoors picnic with her husband and family, obviously a very highly functional and loving family, and suddenly she begins to notice that the continuity is having minor glitches, her husband says and does the exact same thing twice, etc. Of course she doesn't understand, and she screams in terror. A fast scene change shows her inside a "summer picnic" VR (virtual reality) module, among many other VR modules in a large gallery on a very futuristic space ship. The alarm on her VR machine has gone off, and the scream happens because the repairmen are removing her from the machine to fix it. It's a minor malfunction and it's soon repaired, and she resumes her session - after all, she's paid for more than the short interrupted session.

Her session resumes, and the picnic proceeds normally without any more glitches. But suddenly the scene jumps back to to VR gallery, and it shows her machine sparking, then bursting into flames. Staff rush to the machine to rescue her, but it's "too late" - she's dead. The scene jumps back to the picnic, and her husband is asking her whether something's wrong, because she seems preoccupied. Her reply is something like "I just had the weirdest daydream. It was like I was on a spaceship from the future...say, do you notice a slight smell, like something burning?" and after that she (and her family, and the surroundings, and her time-space continuum) are all OK. And, presumably, she and her family continue this marvelously enjoyable picnic for the rest of eternity.

Brings tears to my eyes even thinking about it, and how intensely it surely made me "pay attention" when I first saw it.

If I were to make the effort to list my ten favorite episodes of all time - which, believe me, would be a hellish endeavor if I wanted to get it right - at least SEVEN of the ten would almost surely be TWILIGHT ZONE episodes, mostly from the original black-and-white series.

There is absolutely no contest that it was my favorite TV series of all time.

 

[gabriel1]

"Chuckles Bites the Dust"- the Mary Tyler Moore show
"Hush" - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Also..I don't know if it counts, but how about "Went With the Wind" from the Carol Burnette show?

I am in total hysterical agreement about Chuckles Bites the Dust and Went With the Wind.. (I can still see Carol coming down the steps with the drape rod across her shoulders)

I see someone else posted Gilmore Girls "Wedding Bell Blues" GREAT Episode
and the Golden Girls- while all of the episodes are great, the one I remember most is the one where Dorothys college friend falls in love with Rose and Dorothy and Sophia are disussing this in bed and Blance comes in and Dorothy tells her that Jean is a Lesbian and Blanche says So? Isn't Danny Thomas one too, Dorothy only as she can do - LESBIAN BLANCHE NOT LEBANESE.. The Blanche gets bent out of shape wondering how Jean can desire Rose over her -- HYSTERICAL

 

[jsd62]

Tim Conway and Harvey Korman in the dentist office sketch , from the Carol Burnett Show. I love watching Harvey try to keep a straight face. Also, the final episode of Newhart, when he wakes up, in bed with his wife from his first tv show, having dreamed the whole Vermont Inn thing.

 

[gaz1978]

Frasier - "Ham Radio"
(Frasier attempts to put on a 1940s radio drama, but his ego and control-freakery turn it into a total disaster)

The West Wing - "17 People"
(a mini play where Toby confronts the President and they bicker)

Alias - "Phase One"
(The whole world of Alias for the last 18 months is turned on its head in a dazzling episode)

 

[Riverrick]

Bewitched......the one where Uncle Arthur and Serena lose their powers and have to get a job.